Search brisbanetimes:

Search in:

Samoa to farewell its king this weekend

The Pacific nation of Samoa will come to a halt this weekend for the funeral of King Malietoa Tanumafili II, one of the world's longest serving monarchs.

Tanumafili, who died on May 11, was, at 94, also the world's oldest monarch.

More than 180,000 people are expected to gather in Samoa's capital Apia for the funeral, to be attended by foreign dignitaries including Australia's Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery.

Perina Sila, chief of protocol at Samoa's foreign ministry, said the monarch's funeral on Saturday (AEST) is expected to attract a huge crowd.

Advertisement

"The whole country will attend, plus Samoa's friends from overseas ... there are 180,000 people in Samoa," Sila said.

Most Pacific countries will send a representative to the service, as will the United States, Japan, Canada and South Korea.

Sila said all public servants would wear black and white to the funeral.

Samoa is a deeply Christian country, and the largest religion is the Protestant Congregational church. Tanumafili's funeral will be interdenominational.

The king will be buried at a cemetery in Mulinuu, Apia, in an area reserved for royalty.

While the funeral begins at 10am local time on Friday - 7am Saturday AEST - the king will lie in state one day earlier.

Head of state since 1962, Tanumafili was the third longest reigning living monarch, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has ruled since 1946, and Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne in 1952.

A new head of state to replace Tanumafili will be elected by Samoa's legislative assembly and will serve a five-year term.

New Zealand will allow Fiji's interim foreign minister to transit through Auckland to get to the funeral, relaxing a ban it has on people connected to Fiji's military regime.

Samoa, which has a land mass of 2,944 square kilometres, gained independence from New Zealand in 1962.

The Samoan king's death follows that of another long-serving Pacific monarch last year.

Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, 88, died last September after a 41-year reign and was buried an elaborate funeral, his coffin carried by 1,000 pallbearers through streets draped in black and purple.